Disposable ash tray



March 1963 T. G. BROWN DISPOSABLE ASH TRAY Filed April 12, 1961 INVENTORKGB/awr ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,080,997 DISPOSABLE ASH TRAYTheodore G. Brown, 10501 Croetto Way, Apt. 29, Rancho Cordova, Calif.Filed Apr. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 102,590 2 Claims. (Cl. 220-69) Thisinvention relates to a novel disposable ash tray which is so constructedthat the ash tray can be formed from an inexpensive thin sheet materialwhich is fireproof, by a stamping operation, and so that a plurality ofthe ash trays can be stackedin nested relation to one another for retailsale as a packaged item and for storage until ready for use.

Another and particularly important object of the invention is to providea disposable ash tray having means whereby it will be adhesively held ona supporting surface to prevent inadvertent overturning of the ash tray.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a disposable ashtray having a bottom which is elevated with respect to the part thereofwhich engages the sup porting surface so that heat from the burning endsof cigars or cigarettes resting thereon will not be conducted to thesupporting surface.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a bottom plan view, partly broken away, of the disposableash tray;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view thereof taken substantially along a planeas indicated by the line 22 of FIG URE 1 and showing the ash trayupright and positioned for use;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view takenradially through a part of the ash tray, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken radially througha group of the nested ash trays, and on an enlarged scale relative toFIGURES 1 and 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the disposable ash tray inits entirety is designated generally 6 and is formed from a single pieceof sheet material 7 which can be shaped by a conventional stamping orpressing operation and possesses sufficient rigidity to retain the shapein which it is stamped or pressed. The material 7 may be a thin sheetmetal such as aluminum or may constitute a paper product or othermaterial treated to render it substantially fireproof.

The ash tray 6 is shown as comprising an annularsubstantiallyfrusto-conical outer wall 8 which tapers downwardly. The upper edge 9 ofthe wall 8 may be provided with any desired number of arcuately cutoutor recessed portions =10 in which a part of a cigar or cigarette can berested. The ash tray 6 has a bottom 11 provided with a downturnedmarginal portion 12 which merges with the inner edge of a narrow annularinturned flange 13 of the bottom edge of the surrounding wall =8, sothat the bottom 11 is elevated relative to the narrow annular baseportion 13. The under or exterior side of the annular base portion 13 isprovided with a thin adhesive coating 14 which is preferably of aconventional pressure sensitive type. All annular strip or film of athin flexible material, as seen at 15 in FIGURES 1 and 13, covers theadhesive area 14, until the ash tray is ready for use, and provides aprotective shield for said coating.

The ash tray 6 is so shaped that a plurality of said ash trays can bestacked in nested relation to one another, as illustrated in FIGURE 4,for packaging the ash trays for retail sale and for storing the ashtrays until ready for use. Either the top or bottom ash tray 6 may bedisengaged from the stack, as seen in FIGURE 4, after which the thinprotective film or strip 15 is stripped from the coating 14 to exposesaid coating. The ash tray 6, in an upright position, as seen in FIGURES2, 3 and 4, can then be placed on any suitable substantially horizontalsupporting surface 16, such as a table or desk, and by applying a slightpressure downwardly thereon, the coating [14 will adhere to the surface'16 with a sufficient gripping engagement so that a positive upwardpulling force is required to dislodge the ash tray from the surface 16.The coating 14 is of a character such that it will not leave the surface16 sticky when removed therefrom and will not otherwise mar or injuresaid surface.

Since the material 7, from which the ash tray 6 is formed, must be verylight in weight and inexpensive, the ash tray would be impractical forits intended purpose except for the coating 14 by which the ash tray issecured to a supporting surface, since otherwise the ash tray would bereadily overturned and would readily slide relative to the surface 16 ifaccidentally struck, and in either instance would constitute a firehazard if the ash tray contained burning tobacco products.

An annular groove 17, formed by the lower part of the surrounding Wall8, the wall 12 and the base 13, is sufiiciently narrow so that theburning end of a cigar or cigarette cannot be inserted therein. Thus,the burning ends of cigars and cigarettes supported by the ash tray 6must rest on the elevated bottom 11 which is sufliciently elevated withrespect to the supporting surface 16 so that heat cannot be conductedtherefrom to damage the surface 16. It will be understood that after usethe ash tray 6 is intended to be disposed of with its contents.

rlt will also be understood that the shape and size of the base portion.13 can be varied as well as the coated area or areas 14, and variousother modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to,without departing from the functionor scope of the invention ashereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A disposable ash tray formed from a sheet of a lightweight materialand including a bottom, a base portion surrounding said bottom anddisposed below the level thereof, a surrounding outer wall having abottom edge merging with an outer edge of the base portion, said outerwall being inclined downwardly and inwardly to the base portion, acontinuous wall extending downwardly and outwardly at an incline fromthe marginal edge of the bottom and merging with the inner edge of thebase portion, said outer wall and continuous wall cooperating with saidbase portion to define a continuous upwardly opening groove which isflared upwardly in cross section to facilitate nesting said ash traywithin a corresponding ash tray, the taper of said outer wall andcontainer wall being such that the base portions and bottoms of thenested ash trays are maintained out of engagement with one another, andsaid base portion having an adhesive on its underside for adhesivelyattaching said ash tray to a supporting surface when the ash tray isremoved from its nested position and which adhesive is supported out ofcontact with said corresponding ash tray in the nested relation of theash trays.

2. A disposable ash tray as in claim 1, said groove being of a shape anda cross sectional size such as to prevent the burning end of a cigar orcigarette, disposed within the ash tray, from contacting said baseportion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSCushman Mar. 26, 1912 Seez Mar. 9, 1937 Jones July 22, 1958 SalzenhrodtSept. 6, 1960 ONeil Feb. 14, 1961

1. A DISPOSABLE ASH TRAY FORMED FROM A SHEET OF A LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALAND INCLUDING A BOTTOM, A BASE PORTION SURROUNDING SAID BOTTOM ANDDISPOSED BELOW THE LEVEL THEREOF, A SURROUNDING OUTER WALL HAVING ABOTTOM EDGE MERGING WITH AN OUTER EDGE OF THE BASE PORTION, SAID OUTERWALL BEING INCLINED DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY TO THE BASE PORTION, ACONTINUOUS WALL EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY AT AN INCLINE FROMTHE MARGINAL EDGE OF THE BOTTOM AND MERGING WITH THE INNER EDGE OF THEBASE PORTION, SAID OUTER WALL AND CONTINUOUS WALL COOPERATING WITH SAIDBASE PORTION TO DEFINE A CONTINUOUS UPWARDLY OPENING GROOVE WHICH ISFLARED UPWARDLY IN CROSS SECTION TO FACILITATE NESTING SAID ASH TRAYWITHIN A CORRESPONDING ASH TRAY, THE TAPER OF SAID OUTER WALL ANDCONTAINER WALL BEING SUCH THAT THE BASE PORTIONS AND BOTTOMS OF THENESTED ASH TRAYS ARE MAINTAINED OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE ANOTHER, ANDSAID BASE PORTION HAVING AN ADHESIVE ON ITS UNDERSIDE FOR ADHESIVELYATTACHING SAID ASH TRAY TO A SUPPORTING SURFACE WHEN THE ASH TRAY ISREMOVED FROM ITS NESTED POSITION AND WHICH ADHESIVE IS SUPPORTED OUT OFCONTACT WITH SAID CORRESPONDING ASH TRAY IN THE NESTED RELATION OF THEASH TRAYS.